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Simon Cork

Location: Derbyshire

About The Speaker...

May I briefly introduce myself, Simon Cork from the Hope Valley, North Derbyshire. I spent 25 years as an engraver in the Silver and Cutlery trades in Sheffield before opting for a lifestyle change, undertaking a mature degree at Sheffield University, time well spent I consider. The two talks I give are basically my research dissertation whilst studying for a MA in American History, taking care to present an interesting and varied talk, without too much academic content.

About his Talks...

Each talk is approximately one hour (no longer). I use PowerPoint, the minimum you will require is a screen, as I have laptops and a projector. If you have these already set up then I will just bring the file on a memory stick.

Fee:

My fee is £25 with a small contribution for fuel used. I am fairly central, so will travel to Derbyshire, Yorkshire, Lancashire, Cheshire and Lincolnshire, further afield by negotiation, and happy to travel.
I am able to take short notice, if available.

My Contact Details:

Phone:

01433650740 Mobile:07528794670

Email:

Andrew Carnegie: His Philanthropy and Libraries, a Vision for the Future

An illustrated talk of the life and times of Philanthropist Andrew Carnegie

Andrew Carnegie became the richest man in the world in March 1901 when he sold his steel empire for $440 million to J P Morgan. He was celebrated for building over 2600 Carnegie Libraries, unquestionably becoming one of the world’s greatest philanthropists. Yet little is known of Carnegies remarkable life story, he was a true visionary figure, a prolific writer, an arch anti-imperialist in the turbulent politics of late 19th century America and for 30 years a leading advocate of peace through arbitration. The talk examines his life in the context of America in the period 1870 to 1910

America in the Gilded Age

An illustrated talk covering American Political & Social History 1865-1900
The period of reconstruction after the devastation of the American Civil War saw great changes and the emergence of a country that that was to rise to be the greatest trading nation by 1902. The Gilded age saw the rise and dominance of the corporate trusts and with it a growth in greed, avarice and corruption. It also saw the emergence of a nation that had previously been somewhat isolated in the global world of colonialism, but under President McKinley America began to spread its wings, this talk examines the context of America in this period.